This was their promise
by T3hWh1t3P4nth3r
Summary: Draco and the twin's meet under unusual circumstances. They become friends and vow to help each other in any way they can. Rated for dark themes.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Kind of an obscure idea, but most of mine are. This is a fic between Draco and the twins. They become friends and a little *ahem* more, if you know what I'm saying… Enjoy and please review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

'_How did this happen?'_ Draco thought as he sat in the corner of the Malfoy dungeons. _'Why can't I ever just keep my damn mouth shut!?' _He looked up when he heard voices from the stair well. There was the obvious voice of his father along with that sniveling coward, Wormtail. There were two other voices, prisoners no doubt, talking simultaneously.

The door was thrown open and two boys with bright red hair were tossed into the cell, landing roughly on the floor. "There," came Lucius' cold voice. "In where the vermin BELONG!" Draco hung his head, looking away from his father as he shot him an icy glare.

The two boys didn't seem to notice the blonde tied up in the dark corner. "You alright, Georgey?" one of them said. "Yeah, Freddie… I'm ok. You?" The other nodded. "Yeah." Their attention settled on Draco and each donned a vicious smirk, very Slytherin in nature. "Well, well, well…" they chimed together. "If it isn't the 'Ice Prince of Slytherin' himself. And what a lowly state you're in, too: your hands chained to a wall, your own father calling you vermin- not that we disagree- and being chained up in your own dungeon… That's the one that really takes the cake, we think…"

Draco did not respond. He didn't even look at the Weasley twins. They looked at each other, seeming slightly concerned. They had never known the blonde to just accept being insulted or to not have a comeback.

They cautiously approached him, but still he did not move. Fred was the first to speak, the bite gone from his voice. "Malfoy? You ok?" The blonde shook his head lightly, but still did not respond. "What happened to you?" George asked. Draco simply shook his head once more. George looked slightly irritated, but filtered it from his voice. "What? You won't tell us?"

Draco looked up into their faces, a broken look in his grey eyes. Fred understood. "You- You can't tell us, can you?" Draco's head fell once more, looking rather ashamed. George looked at Fred. "He's lost his voice?" Fred nodded. "I would assume that and more…" He spoke now in hushed tones. "It had to be something big to break him like this…"

They heard a scraping sound on the floor and turned to face it. Draco was dragging a foot through the dust. He seemed to be writing something. They crouched and watched the letters form. C-R-U-C-I-O. Both of them looked at the blonde, horror etched onto their faces.

"So… You were tortured so badly that you… You screamed yourself out?" George was having slight trouble keeping his calm. Draco nodded and Fred swore under his breath. "Who did this to you, Draco?" he asked. Footsteps were heard coming down the stairs. Draco indicated that the twins should move away from him, and they did so. He erased the word with his foot quickly before the door opened, admitting one Lucius Malfoy.

Draco flinched slightly when his father turned to him. The man's grip tightened on his cane as he spoke to his only son. "You are a disgrace!" On the last word, he struck the teen. Both twins cringed at the resounding crack of the cane on the boy's pale skin. Lucius continued lecturing his son, emphasizing his points with a blow. "You are spineless! –crack- Weak! –crack- Pathetic! –crack- It would have been best if you had never even been born! –CRACK- " Draco sat there, shaking tremendously, blood trailing from his lips and sharp pains stabbing his sides with every breath.

Lucius removed his wand from the handle of his cane, aiming it at Draco. The fair teen tried to brace himself for the inevitable, though he knew it would do him no good: it would still be excruciating. "Crucio!" Lucius shouted. Draco screamed, his voice gravely and filled with agony, his body thrashing in extreme pain. The tears began filling his eyes. When the curse was stopped he collapsed, only held up by the chains that bound him. Lucius looked scathingly at his son before striking him once more with his cane and exiting.

Both the twins retched at what they had just witnessed. How could Lucius do something THAT vile?! Draco was his son! His only son, for that matter. They crawled over to Draco's twitching form, both too shaken to stand. Fred reached out tentatively, placing a hand lightly on Draco's shoulder. The blonde flinched at the touch and looked up to see who his new tormentor was. When he saw that it was the twins, he looked down and allowed his tears to fall, feeling vulnerable yet safe with them.

The twins pulled him gently into their arms, a twin on each side. He rested his head on their shoulders as he sobbed silently. "We'll do whatever we can to help you, Draco," George said. "We'll protect you," Fred said. They peppered Draco's neck and cheeks with kisses, trying to offer him whatever comfort and affection they could. Draco pulled away briefly to write in the dust once more: I'll get us out of here.

This was their promise: to protect each other, help each other to the best of their abilities, and to comfort and love each other the best they could, because no one else would.

Note: K this is only the first chapter. Idk if I'll extend it or not…


	2. Chapter 2

Authors note: Review if you favorite it please.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Draco and the twins had developed a clear understanding of each other in only a day. They were silently plotting their escape. Draco knew the mansion inside and out: all the rooms, where all the creaky boards were, and, most importantly, all the secret passages throughout it. The only problem remaining was how to get Draco free from his shackles. Lucius was the one in charge of the key, and he never let it out of his sight: he always had it draped around his neck on a chain.

"We could always try and jump him…" Fred said with a shrug. George shook his head. "No, that would never work. He'd hex us in a second." Draco gave them a look that said, "Not if he was distracted…" The twins knew what the blonde meant. "No way, Draco!" they said as hushed as they could manage. "We're not letting you go through all that again! Not if we have anything to say about." Draco's expression changed, taking on more authority. They could almost hear him saying "Well, then, it's too bad that you DON'T have a say in the matter." They hung their heads and clenched their fists. "Fine…" Fred whispered.

Lucius came down at 7 pm, three hours earlier than was usual, and began the cruel desecration of the boy's body. The twins hated to see Draco being abused so blatantly. They waited for Draco to give his signal for them to attack, gritting their teeth the whole time. Lucius pulled out his wand and the blood red spell struck Draco, making him cry out in total excruciation. His gaze shifted over to them and he gave a nod, his mouth closed as he gave a loud growl of pain. The twins moved faster than they ever had before, tackling the death eater to the ground and taking his wand. They muttered "Incarcerus" and he was soon in a full body bind, unable to move or speak.

They swiped the key and released Draco from his shackles, still trembling from the curse. They caught him before he collapsed to the ground. They could feel how thin he was, but they could also feel the solid muscle. "You ok?" they asked, not wanting to move and end up hurting him further. He stood shakily and nodded. He shot a glare down at Lucius, who was now struggling against his invisible tethers. Draco placed a kiss on each of the twins' lips, smirking at his father's disgusted expression before they headed to the rear corner of the cell.

Draco pulled on one of the torches, revealing a small hole in the wall. He held out his hand, receiving the wand they had taken from Lucius. He stuck it into the opening and a door appeared in the wall to their right. He pushed it open and they began sprinting down the corridor, Lucius' wand lighting the dark passage. They could hear the dull bang of the door slamming shut behind them.

They reached a fork in the path, leading in 5 different directions. Draco immediately veered down the one farthest to the left, the twins following close behind him. They reached a door and Draco threw it open. They were in a room with green walls and black furniture with silver accents. They realized it must be his room as Draco grabbed his wand from the desk and began throwing things into a satchel: parchment, quills, ink, potions, multiple books, and some medical supplies. He also tucked in a music box and a photograph. The twins were curious about the last two additions, but decided there was no time to ask.

They snuck from the room, careful to step exactly where Draco had so as not to make any noise by creaking the floorboards. They crept down the stairs, the front door was in sight, and the twins felt that they had made it. Draco, however, remained tense and alert. He indicated that the twins should get low and stay hidden. They did so but made sure to keep an eye on the blonde as he crept down the stairs.

Draco snuck over to a door, peering around it into the dining room. Just as he had expected, there was a large group of death eaters gathered around the table for a meeting, no doubt waiting for his father to return. And there, at the head of the table, sat the Dark Lord himself. Draco shuddered. He signaled to the twins, telling them to make for the door silently. They opened it, and it gave a loud creak. All the death eaters looked to the sound, spotting Draco's blonde hair as he dashed from the doorway.

The trio sprinted over the grounds, dodging the spells flying past their heads, trying to put as much distance between themselves and the manor as possible. The twins each seized one of Draco's hands and they disapparated, landing in the yard of the Burrow. "This is where we live," they said, noticing the curious look on Draco's face. "It's not much, but its home…" They led the blonde up the stairs to the front door. When they entered, they were almost immediately swept into their mother's arms.

"Oh! You're alright! You're alright!" she sobbed. "I was so worried!" Her voice took on an angrier tone. "I TOLD Moody you shouldn't have been sent on that mission for The Order! I KNEW it was too dangerous! But you're safe, and that's all that matters." They pulled Draco forward and Mrs. Weasley's gaze widened. Draco bowed his head, as he still could not speak.

The rest of The Order that was currently staying in the Burrow came out to see what the commotion was all about. Many looked thoroughly relieved and pleased when they saw Fred and George, but, just as Mrs. Weasley had, they tensed when they saw the blonde boy. Harry, Ron and Hermione stepped forward.

Ron was the one who spoke. "Well, well… If it isn't the ferret. What's the matter? Isn't being a death eater all that you hoped it would be? Isn't daddy dear proud of you?" Draco looked away, his hands balling into fists at his sides. "Then again, it would be pretty hard to be proud of a worthless, spineless little shit like you."

Fred and George stepped in front of Draco, blocking him from Ron. "Back off, Ron," George hissed. "You don't know what the bloody hell you're talking about," Fred said.

'Oh? What don't I know, then?" Ron was on edge and more than ready for a fight.

"How about the fact that he helped us escape!?" George spat. "Or the fact that he's been tortured worse than anyone here?!" Fred chimed in. "Did you know that, Ron?!" they hissed in unison. Some people gasped lightly, and the crowd began murmuring. The twins turned to Draco. "Is it ok?" The blonde nodded his head. They stepped to his sides. Fred reached out a hand and moved the platinum hair that was curtaining the boy's face, revealing a deep purple bruise on his cheek. George did the same on the other side, exposing two thin, long gashes in Draco's cheek caused by the fangs of the snake headed cane.

Mrs. Weasley, her maternal instincts kicking in, hastened over to Draco. "Oh, you poor dear…" She cupped her hands under his chin and tilted it in different directions, inspecting the damage. The atmosphere in the room relaxed considerably as she continued fussing over Draco as if he were her own son. She looked him in the eye and asked sternly, but caringly, "Draco, is this all?" The twins said it was, but Draco shook his head 'no'.

They were shocked. "What do you mean 'no'?" Draco indicated his chest, his back and his arms. Everyone watched as he rolled up his shirt sleeve, revealing more bruise and cuts. Many people gasped, Mrs. Weasley and Hermione were mere seconds from tears, and the twins' fists couldn't have gone any tighter. They wanted nothing better than to go back to Malfoy Manor and gut Lucius.

Mrs. Weasley put a hand gingerly on the blonde's shoulder. "Come along, dear. How does a nice, warm bath sound?" Draco looked up into her friendly face and couldn't help but smile as he nodded his head. As she led him upstairs, he felt safe with her. He felt comfortable.

She started the water and went to fetch him a change of clothes. She came back with a pair of jeans and a green sweater with a capital 'G' on it. "These are George's, so I'm afraid they'll be a bit big on you." Draco shook his head with a smile and mouthed "It's fine. Thank you". She nodded and turned to leave as he started unbuttoning his shirt, but not before she caught a glimpse of a large burn on his chest. She closed the door and covered her mouth, tears burning in her eyes. _'Who could do such a thing to a child?"_

Note: So, I hope you liked it. I also hope that this answered a few questions, like how the twins ended up in the dungeons in the first place. You can expect this to be extended. When, I'm not sure. I'm gonna get really busy soon because school is starting in less than a week. But I will do my best to post as often as often as I can.


	3. Chapter 3

Authors note: 2 things. 1- Please leave a review if you decide to favorite it. It doesn't have to be anything special. I simple "I liked it" will suffice. 2- At the suggestion of ThePinkHairBow, there will be some Drarry thrown into this as well. Idk when it will REALLY come into play, but it will at some point.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or locations used in this fic. Thanks.

Draco hissed as he slid into the hot water that filled the tub. The heat stung at the gashes in his back and on his chest. Images of being struck with a whip and 'sectumsempra', cast by his father, flashed across Draco's mind. He flinched, believing that the threat was truly there. Despite being in the warm water, he couldn't stop himself from trembling, nor could he stem the flow of tears cascading down his cheeks. He knew what Lucius would say if he could see his son: "How pathetic…"

As Draco bathed, Mrs. Weasley was finishing up dinner. "Ginny? Hermione? Could you two help me by setting the table, dears?" They each nodded, grabbing plates, glasses and silverware. The boys sat out in the living room. The twins were still irritated with Ron's behavior towards Draco, Ron still didn't seem like he was sorry in the slightest, and Harry was just watching, praying that he wouldn't do anything to set off the minefield between the brothers.

Harry sighed, deciding to break the silence. "What happened to him? I mean, if it's ok…"

The twins looked at him, then at each other. "We only know what we saw…" Fred started. He hung his head, looking more than slightly ashamed. "But, clearly, we didn't see everything…"

"While we were there, his father beat him with a cane on two separate occasions…" George continued. "Once at 10 pm on our first night, and then again today at 7… And both times, he was hit with the cruciatus curse right after." Both twins' eyes closed, fighting back their tears.

"He can't even speak right now…" Fred continued, his eyes swimming in tears but showing pure rage. "He can't speak, because he lost his voice screaming. That's all we've heard of his voice since we found him: his screams of pain as he was struck with the curse." He looked away, clenching his fist, causing his knuckles to go white.

George shook his head. "That's all we know…"

Harry had a fist to his mouth, tears of hate brimming in his own eyes as he imagined the awful scene. "How could Lucius do something like that? And to his own son! I thought even someone as vile as him would at least care about his family… If nothing else, Draco is his one and only heir! He should be doing anything in his power to protect him so that the Malfoy line continues, like he wants it to." Try as he might, he could find no logical explanation to Lucius' actions.

"Dinner's ready!" Mrs. Weasley called, oblivious to the previous conversation. "Can someone go and fetch Draco? I'm sure the poor boy is starving…"

Harry sprang up. "I'll go get him!" He dashed up the stairs, a slight grin on his face. The twins glared at his retreating form. They had their suspicions as to why the boy wonder had been so eager, and they didn't like it…

Harry stopped outside the bathroom door. He thought that he heard faint crying. He knocked on the door and heard a light splash of water, indicating that he had startled the blonde. Images of Draco in the tub, his hair damp and tousled, flitted across Harry's mind. He quickly shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Malfoy?" He realized how idiotic he must have sounded as he heard the Slytherin scoff lightly. "Are you alright?" There was another scoff, this one sounded like 'How thick ARE you?' "One knock for no, two knocks for yes." He could picture the other boy rolling his silvery eyes as he gave two rather indignant knocks. "Mrs. Weasley said to fetch you. Dinner's ready."

He heard the water move some more and knew that Draco was getting out of the tub. He listened to the soft sound that the towel made as it glided over the boy's fair skin. Though he fought desperately against them, he couldn't keep the images from jumping to his mind: the pale form glistening with the water droplets, his muscles, toned from years of quidditch, flexing lightly with every movement, the towel making its way down his body…

He was about to speak when the twins called up. "Oy! Harry! How long does it take to deliver a message?" There was slight irritation in their voices as they spoke. "Come on down and quit pestering him!" Reluctantly, Harry made his way back down the stairs. "He'll be right down…" he grumbled as he passed them.

Draco stood in front of the sink, the towel wrapped securely around his waist. He gazed at his battered reflection, running his fingers lightly over each gash. His fingers traced the edge of the burn he had received 1 week prior, when Lucius had decided to change things up a bit, throwing 'incendio' in amongst the other spells in his artillery… His attention flitted up to his face, to the bruise. Tentatively, he placed a finger lightly to the surface. He flinched away, surprised by how much it had hurt. _'Okay… Not doing that again…'_ he thought.

He reached into his bag and pulled out the medical supplies he had brought from home. The picture frame tumbled out as well, clattering on the floor. He lifted the photo, gazing at the figures moving behind the glass. It was a family portrait. He had been about 6 when it was done. A sad, small smile crept on to his lips as he looked: they were all smiling, looking like a proper family should. He watched as his 6-year-old self began laughing, not having a care in the world. His eyes brimmed with fresh tears as he saw his parents pull him into a warm, secure embrace and he had to put the photo back.

He turned back to his reflection, pulling the stopper out of one of the potion bottles. A sky blue liquid, slightly thicker than water, poured from the vial into his hand. He dipped a finger into the liquid, drawing it across one of the large gashes in his chest. He watched as it began to close, his skin absorbing the potion. He repeated this action over every cut, including those on his cheek. Using his wand, he returned the excess potion back to the vial.

Next he pulled out a potion of bright scarlet. This one was much thicker, more of a cream than a liquid. He closed his eyes as he took some on his fingers and placed it on the burn. His jaw clenched as a burning sensation flared through his chest. He gripped the side of the sink, his arms shaking lightly. Then, as quickly as it had come, the pain was gone. He looked down and instantly noticed that the burn was far less noticeable than before, but it still lingered. He let out a light sigh, looking at his slightly less broken reflection. _'Now for the bruises…'_

He pulled out the final flask. With it, he removed a pure white cloth. The liquid poured from the flask as if it were water, gleaming silver on the cloth. He closed his eyes as he ran the soaked material over his various bruises, leaving a cool, silver trail behind. He felt a rather pleasant tingling sensation as this, too, was absorbed into his body and sighed. He opened his eyes, relieved immensely as he was met by only his pale skin. No more ragged gashes, no more unsightly bruises, just him and the faded burn. He packed away his tonics with a smirk and dressed.

Mrs. Weasley was adding a few more 'finishing touches' to the meal. "Honestly, mum," Ron said. "Does it really matter if it looks picture perfect or not when we're just gonna eat it anyway?" She shot him a very stern glance and he backed up, holding his hands up in surrender. "Sorry… Forget I asked…"

Hermione and Harry were seated on the couch, a muggle puzzle that Hermione had brought laying on the table in front of them. "No, Harry, that doesn't go there…" she chuckled. Harry was getting rather annoyed. All the colors were too similar and there weren't any real patterns to go by either. He tossed the piece down and leaned back into the cushions.

Hermione simply laughed at him more. "Awww, don't get fwustwated, Hawwy…" she teased. "Is the big bad puzzle making you cwanky?"

He threw a pillow at her, slightly amused. "No, but you're doing a decent job of it…" he joked back. She threw the pillow back, hitting him in the face, knocking his glasses askew.

Draco stood at the foot of the stairs, chuckling and shaking his head lightly. He strode over and straightened Harry's glasses with his signature smirk in place, though looking like a small child. Mrs. Weasley had been right: George's clothes were quite big on him. The sleeves of the sweater went well past his hands, the sweater hung down to the middle of his thigh and the jeans covered his feet. They were also too big at the waist, but he had taken care of that with the belt from his previous outfit. Mrs. Weasley, Ginny and Hermione each had hands over their mouths, trying not to giggle at how cute he looked adjusting Harry's frames in the oversized sweater. "Well, don't you just look adorable?" Fred chuckled, walking over to the blonde.

Everyone but Ron chuckled as Draco gave the twins a light glare as they tousled his still slightly damp hair. "Alright, alright…" Mrs. Weasley said, smiling and beckoning to the table. "Let's eat." Everyone sat around the large table: Draco sitting between the twins, Harry sitting across from him, Hermione and Ron on either side of him. Mrs. Weasley began serving the food, giving Draco and Harry both rather large helpings. "You must be starving," she said. Harry was used to it by now: Mrs. Weasley thought that the Dursley's were starving him to death, so she overcompensated. Draco looked rather surprised and more than a little amused.

"Mum's a total food pusher," Ginny said, earning a look from her mother.

"I am not!" she insisted. "They're just too thin, that's all…" Everyone laughed. She rolled her eyes and continued on her way, setting the plate in the center of the table.

As they ate, Mr. Weasley came through the back door. "Evening, everyone," he said, thinking that only his family, Harry and The Order members were there. He took his usual seat at the head of the table.

"Dear," Molly said, placing a hand on her husband's shoulder. "We have a guest…"

He looked up, scanning the table. His eye was immediately drawn to the platinum blonde sitting between his sons. His eyes widened a bit in surprise, but a smile soon fell upon his features. "Well, hello Mr. Malfoy!" he said pleasantly, sounding amused and beaming at Draco. "Who would've thought? So, what brings you here?"

Draco looked to the twins. "He helped us escape from Malfoy Manor after we were captured," George said.

"He was imprisoned in the dungeons as well," Fred added.

Arthur looked thoroughly surprised now. "Really?" Draco nodded. "Whatever for?" The twins shook their heads, and Mr. Weasley decided to drop the subject. "Well, happy to have you with us, Draco."

Ever the blunt one, Moody straightened up and looked right at Draco, both eyes focusing on him. "What did they do to you, boy?" Everyone turned to him, surprised at his total tactlessness, but Draco simply locked gazes with the auror. "Did they torture you?" Draco nodded. "Cruciatus?" Draco nodded. "That all?" Draco shook his head. The room was silent and tense now, watching as Mad-eye practically interrogated the blonde teen. "Cane?" Draco nodded. "Whip?" Draco nodded. "Anything else?" Draco nodded and looked over at the fireplace. "He burned you?" Now even Moody looked a bit surprised. Draco nodded and held up one finger, indicating that it only happened once. "Did they do anything else to you?" Moody's voice held a tone that sent shivers up everyone's spines: they knew what he was getting at. Draco hesitated for a minute before shaking his head, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "You're lying to me, boy…"

Mrs. Weasley stood. "That's enough, Alastor!" Many people were surprised, including Moody. "He's been through enough, don't you think?! He doesn't need to relive everything right now! He's just a boy!" Draco thought she sounded just like his mother as she said the last bit.

Moody stood as well. "He's lying, Molly! If he's lying about this part of the story, how do we know that he isn't just lying about the whole thing?! We can't let our guard down just because your 'maternal instincts' are overly sensitive because he's 'just a boy'! He's not just a boy, he's Lucius Malfoy's boy! He was born and raised in the Dark Arts, and we've all seen that he can be a fairly convincing actor when he wants to be!" His attention snapped back to Draco. "Not only that, but I don't see a damn mark on him!"

They all looked to the blonde. True enough, there was no longer a bruise on his cheek, nor were the scratches there anymore. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation as to why they're gone, for I assure you, there were plenty of marks on him," she said, her temper rising.

"Oh, yeah," said Moody. "There's a reasonable explanation: The marks you saw were either make up that washed off during his soak or it was a glamour that he forgot to recast!"

Draco stood abruptly from his chair and left the room, heading upstairs to retrieve his bag. He snatched it up and stormed back into the room with it, a slight scowl on his face. The argument was still going on, but it silenced as he set off a loud bang with his wand. All eyes turned to him, a bit startled. He removed the vials from his satchel, placing them in front of Moody. He pulled out a sheet of parchment and a quill and scribbled down: 'Do you know what these are?' When Moody did not respond, he scoffed and scribbled once more: 'No, you wouldn't would you? Because I'm the one that devised them… Let me show you…'

He took a small blade from his bag and pressed it into his hand. Many people gasped as they saw his blood. "Draco!" Mrs. Weasley cried. Paying her no heed, he unstopped the vial of sky blue liquid. He dumped a small amount into his bleeding hand. It instantly began healing and closing up, leaving no trace that it was ever there. Next he strode over to the fire. Mrs. Weasley rushed over. "Oh, no you don't, Draco. I'm not letting you continue with this." He gave her a 'please let me do this' look. She sighed shakily as she stepped back, closing her eyes and looking away. He closed his eyes just as tightly, plunging his hand into the fire.

"Draco! What are you doing?!" Harry shouted.

When Draco removed his hand, it was an angry red and burned very badly. Tears in his eyes, he opened the scarlet cream, shaking as he applied it to his fresh burn. His trembling intensified as the pain did, until, suddenly, he was still once more. They all looked down at his hand, now back to its usual pale shade. He looked around for a second, his gaze landing on Harry. He strode over to the dark-haired boy and lifted the sleeve of his blue sweater. There was a decent sized bruise on his forearm. Draco smirked as he grabbed the silver liquid and the cloth. _'Leave it to Potter to have a bruise or two… Knew I could count on him for something…'_

Harry gasped lightly when the cold, wet fabric was pressed to his arm. He noticed the tingling sensations in his arm. There was the one from the potion, but that wasn't the one he was enjoying. He loved the feeling of Draco's hands on his arm. And then, to his disappointment, the blonde pulled away and stood, indicating Harry's arm, now bruise free.

Mrs. Weasley clapped her hands together. "Ah. See? I told you there was a reasonable explanation."

Draco put his things back into his bag, slung it over his shoulder, and simply stood there. He looked at Moody expectantly, a rather gutsy move. Moody grimaced before muttering, "Sorry if I offended you… Or accused you in any way…" It sounded as if it were the most painful, humiliating thing the auror had ever had to say. A smirk formed on the blonde's lips as he nodded and left the room.

It was silent and slightly tense, but Sirius snorted, unable to hold back his laughter anymore. Moody glared at him. "I never thought I'd see the day that you would apologize… And to a 16-year-old boy, no less! But then again, he IS a Black…" He was practically howling with laughter, and the others soon joined in. "Better watch your step, Mad-eye… He knows how to play… And I think he's got what it takes to go toe to toe with you and not even bat an eyelash. He just doesn't know it yet…"

Harry slipped out, covered by all the commotion of the now friendly room. He saw Draco sitting on one of the couches, his knees pulled up to his chest, staring into the fire. The blonde turned to look at him as he sat down next to him. Harry simply shrugged and asked, a bit thickly, "How are you doing?" Draco rolled his eyes and sighed, turning back to the blaze. "Do you want to talk about it?" The Slytherin gave him a look. "Well, you know, write about it?"

Draco picked up his pad of parchment and an emerald-green quill. 'Why do you give a damn?' he wrote in his elegant, flowing handwriting. Harry really liked the way Draco wrote. It showed just how smooth he was, how sly, how deceptive. It suited him well.

"Well, I figure we're gonna be staying under the same roof for a while, so we may as well try starting again…" Harry said with a shrug.

'_Start again?'_ Draco donned a thoughtful expression for a moment. It was soon replaced with a small smile. He twisted where he sat so that he faced Harry. He extended his hand out for Harry to take, grin still in place.

Harry couldn't think for a few seconds. He had never seen the blonde smile before, which he thought was a real shame: Draco had a rather stunning smile. Harry could feel a faint blush creeping on to his cheeks as he shook the outstretched hand, feeling the same tingling sensation from earlier shoot straight up his arm. He would've loved to just stay like that forever: in front of the warm, roaring fire, Draco's hand clutched in his own.

It was not to be, as Draco pulled away. He looked at Harry, a calculating look in his storm grey eyes. _'I wonder…'_ he thought. _'The Golden Boy couldn't possibly fancy a "vile snake" like me. That would just be ridiculous…'_ He turned his attention back to the fire, smirking as he felt Harry shift closer.

"Draco?" Harry said, sounding slightly uncomfortable. "Ok, I don't mean this to be rude, so feel free to hex me if I offend you, but… Are you… Gay?"

Draco was slightly surprised by such a blunt question. _'I thought he would at least have the tact to work his way up to that one…" _He seized his quill once more: 'Why? Are you?' Draco's expression was totally unreadable, a perfect mask.

Harry panicked slightly, taking that as a 'no'. He certainly didn't want Draco to know that he was gay if he had no chance with the blonde. "No. No way."

Draco saw right through Harry's rather pathetic attempt to cover his slip up. With a smirk he wrote, 'Well that's a shame…' Harry looked rather confused for about half a second until it clicked. But before he had time to speak, Draco had already written more on the paper. 'No, I'm not gay. I'm bisexual, but I have a pretty strong preference toward girls.' He shrugged. 'That doesn't mean that the right guy can't turn my head… It just means it'll be a bit of a challenge for him.'

Harry just nodded dumbly, not entirely sure how to respond to this. Was Draco saying that he WASN'T interested? Or was he saying that he WAS interested? He was about to ask the blonde to explain when two voices came from behind them.

"Hey, Draco. Why don't we show you where you'll be staying while you're here." The two boys on the couch turned to see the twins standing there. Draco nodded and stood, striding over to them. He shot a smirk back at Harry before being shepherded up the stairs. Harry turned away, missing the glares that the twins gave him.

0-0-0

The twins led Draco to a room near the end of the hall. They pushed the door open and flicked on the lights. There were two beds, each with a homemade quilt covering them. Fred pointed to one of them. "You'll be in my bed. Georgie and I will share the other." The blonde turned and looked at them. "Don't fret about it," George said. "He rarely sleeps in his own bed anyway. He usually slips in with me during the night…" Fred promptly hit his brother in the chest. "Shut it! It's not my fault I get cold!" Draco couldn't help but laugh at the two of them.

The two older boys smiled, pleased about making the 'Ice Prince of Slytherin' laugh. They shut the door behind them and led Draco over to the bed. "Here, sit down…" they said. "Oh, hey," Fred said, a realization striking his brain. "You'll need pajamas won't you?" Without even waiting for a response from the blonde, they strode over to their shared wardrobe. Fred pulled out a pair of red pajamas. "You could use these if you like." George proceeded to smack him. "Are you barmy? Why would he want to wear Gryffindor colors, you tosser?" They heard a light laughing come from the blonde. Fred pulled out a green pair of pajamas instead. He tossed them over to the blonde who caught them with ease.

The twins began undressing, preparing for bed. Draco couldn't help but admire them: their bodies were well sculpted, their hair was shoulder length but suited them perfectly. They slipped into the pajama pants and shirts, but left the tops unbuttoned. Draco had already stood to start getting himself changed. Even though the marks on his skin were gone, his body was starting to feel the soreness and aches from his time in the dungeon. He found even some of the simplest movements were causing his muscles to burn and tighten. The twins walked over to the blonde and whispered softly, "Need some help?"

Draco wanted to shake his head and force himself to do it, not wanting to seem weak. When he tried again, he felt a large stab of pain in his side. Despite his pride, he nodded. George grabbed the bottom of the sweater, lightly pulling it up the blonde's torso, revealing porcelain skin. They could still see his Quidditch muscles carved expertly into his lithe frame. He slipped the garment over the Slytherin prince's head. For a minute, the twins simply took in the sight of the fair boy. They stepped closer to him, their hands lightly drifting over his chest. Fred bowed his head slightly and started to kiss the blonde's neck and collarbone as George claimed his lips in a gentle kiss. Draco's eyes drifted shut, his mind beginning to cloud.

As they continued to stimulate the younger boy, they allowed their hands to start drifting lower. Their fingertips ghosted over the blonde's chest, down over his abs and rested on the hem of his jeans. Fred loosened the black belt and slid it easily from the loops. He undid the button and zipper. His hand soon returned to the Slytherin's tight abs. The twins' hands lowered together, making their way past the hem of the loose jeans. They continued to delve lower until they were cupping the boy's member. At this, Draco gasped and sprang back, his breathing quick and his eyes distant but frightened. The twins shared a look, realizing their mistake.

They spoke lightly, trying to soothe the terrified boy. "Draco…" Fred said lightly. "Draco, it's alright. It's us, Fred and George. We won't hurt you…" George joined in, "We're sorry, Draco. The last thing we want to do is scare you and hurt you…" They slowly approached the lightly trembling blonde. He flinched and started shaking harder as they lowered the jeans. They were quickly replaced by the soft flannel pajama pants though. George lightly draped the shirt over the boy, easing his thin arms into the sleeves. Fred began doing up the buttons once the shirt was on him.

They could feel that Draco was still shaking, and saw that his eyes were still hazed over. They gently wrapped him in a warm safe embrace, just as they had done in the dungeons. It was only at this tender gesture that Draco's body started to relax and still. The twins felt him take in a shuddering breath and instantly knew that the boy in their arms was crying. Fred lightly ran a soothing hand up and down Draco's back as George combed his fingers through the platinum blonde's soft, flaxen locks.

They laid Draco gently on to the bed, covering him with the warm quilt. His storm-grey eyes held an apologetic sadness as he looked at them. Fred shook his head lightly. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Draco. It was our fault…" George gives the blonde a light smile. "Sleep well, Draco…" They brushed the fringe from his eyes as the silver orbs began to close. They each placed a light, loving kiss on his forehead before going to their own bed for the night.

Note: Hope you liked it. There was a lot going on in this one, I realize. Let me know what you thought so I can maybe go back and fix it. Also, sorry it took so long to update.


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